Dog

Dogs are rather diurnal than nocturnal creatures, although they are equally well adapted to both day and night and can likewise be alert and agile in both periods of the day.

Sociability is a fundamental trait of their character and it has a decisive influence on their habits.

They eat everything that humans also eat: food of animal origin as well as of vegetal origin, raw food not less than processed food. However, they particularly enjoy meat; in fact, they even prefer slightly rotten meat over fresh meat.

Dogs excel in running and swimming, and to some extent in climbing too, but they cannot walk on steep slopes with ease or without feeling dizzy.

Every dog likes to sleep a lot, though in short spans. Their sleep is very light and agitated and it is often accompanied by dreams, of which they show signs by waving their tails, twitching, growling, and barking gently.

Dogs’ senses are sharp, but not equally developed throughout the different races. The sense of smell, hearing and sight seem to rank first and, in fact, some dogs outstand due to better hearing, while other dogs due to a better sense of smell.

Their sense of smell is prodigiously developed and attains such a high level that one can barely fathom it.

Sixty-three days after mating the female dog delivers, in a dark place, three to ten puppies, usually four to six, though in extremely rare cases fifteen or even twenty of them. The puppies are born with front teeth, but they remain blind for ten to twelve days.